There are numerous situations in which a waterfront asset, such as military and civilian ships, that are situated in a harbor environment must be protected. Potential threats to the waterfront asset may originate at the surface of the water or below the surface of the water that abuts the asset. Typically, protective systems are passive barriers, such as oil booms or heavy fixed barriers to stop boats, or simple lines of small floats on the water. Security boom systems are typically heavy, usually difficult to deploy and moor, and are not intended to be portable. Moreover, security booms usually cannot be seen at night or in fog or rain, and do not provide any indications of intrusion.
Consequently, a method and apparatus that may provide continuous protection for an asset by automatically warning personnel about a possible intruder, that has a reduced cost, that has mobility so that the protective system may be transported with the ship as the ship changes locations, that can be configured for a desired perimeter typology, and that uses less power while providing a required degree of protection from surface and underwater predators would be beneficial to advancing the art of protective systems for waterfront assets.